Don't try to reform me, 'cause I'm made of cold stone

(The first person to tell me where that title comes from will get a free copy of one ofthe two eBooks that I've had stories published in.) won! It's Lawrence Gowan

As if I didn't have enough to worry about.

This recent study at the University of Michigan has determined that Americans (and being Canadian myself and having seen some of my adopted Niece's boyfriends, I'd include Canadians too) are--to quote the article--"about 40 percent lower in empathy than their counterparts of 20 or 30 years ago."

Now, it does seem strange to me that one can make percentages out of emotions, but this study does match things I've read and heard and seen. University students here and in Canada seem to want everything to be spoon fed to them. Down here my husband was warned that he could be sued if he gave failing grades (this hasn't stopped him). I've heard about a surprising increase in the number of first-year students threatening suicide because they failed an exam.

People seem to be just as inclined to film an assault with their phone cameras and put in on Youtube than call 911, and if the kind of comments people feel free to dump in public forums are any indication then there are a hell of a lot of very nasty people out there.

I know that this isn't everybody in their late teens and early twenties. I want to make that clear. I have friends on LJ who are right in the midst of the 'Me Generation' and are among the sweetest and most generous people I know (I'm writing a book with one of them).

But. There is still this huge number of young people walking around who don't care as much about others as their parents did, and one day my son will have to work for them. Not to mention that whatever the evils of modern media, they'll just get worse.

So, I'm scared about what the future will bring. I know that the kids in Javier's class all seem to be sweet, loving, empathetic little people, but that's a microcosm. What about the rest of them? Will anybody care?